New Tank Set-up strange behaviour?

[The_Priest]

hello there is my my first post im 22 from kent in england and have recently set up a malawi tank. My tank has been set up for a month or so and my local aquatic shop done some tests on my water and said all is well and good to go.
Ive introduced over a few days which was reccomended 3 melanchromis aurats 3 haplochromis ahli's 3 redfins a common pleco and 2 frontosa's which even tho come from lake Tangika would be fine.
Ive noticed 2 or 3 of my fish starting to scratch themselves on my sand substrate and on some of my african rock.
Ive looked this up on a webcite and it says this could be a parasite infection such as skin or gill flukes but this according to the webcite would include some form of visable marking or some sort of a visual sign that this is present.
This is my first tank ive researched it very well but this is slighlty confusing any help here would be great, also would i be best in treating it for a parasite infection regardless if im sure its there or not?
many thanks

 

[Sye]

You say your tank has been set up for a month. Did you add any fish or ammonia prior the adding your selected fish?

What size is your tank?

Could be ick your fish have due to the stress, keep and eye out for little white specks on them similar to salt. If they appear raise the temp and get some medication in there.

 

[The_Priest]

hello there and thanks for your reply, my tank size is just over a metre wide by 40cm by 40cm (183 ltre).

No i didnt add any amonia prior to adding fish, my LFS said that the few plants that i had would be sufficcent, plus ive doing a regular of treatment of nutrafins cycle a biological supplement to aid in maturing my filter (fluval + 4)
as i said there is no pyiscal signs of it being present just this strange behaviour. Also my frontosa's are very shy and not eating could this be due to stress?
This is my first tank and im panickkng thinking that im going to come home and find them dead! lol i woudl appreciate your comments.
Many thanks
Adam

 

[semper fi]

i have found that malawians do scratch themselves on the substrate. don't know if this is a fish type of marking their territory or what. keep an eye on them. look for signs of ich. what temp are you keeping them at?

IME juvie frontosas are quite shy. it could also be adjusting to their new environment. keep an eye on them. signs of stress are usually loss of color and not eating. frontosas are also quite large when older. they are a deep water fish and require lots of swimming room.

you might find that you have problems with the auratus as it is an extremely aggressive mbuna. the h. ahli and the fronts would be fine together as they are deep water fish and have the same dietary requirements. the auratus has a much different dietary requirement though. will make feeding hard.

 

[JeremyD]

Test for ammonia and nitrites. Flashing is a common sign that there are detectable levels of these toxins in the water.

 

[The_Priest]

excellent advice guys thanks ever so much, when i first got my tank i was advised to draw up a shopping list of fish i wanted to ahere to and then take it into a reputible dealer who will tell you what to do and what introduce and when and he mentioned that my aratus will be ok providing i cater for their dietry needs. Also i do have juvinile frontosas so maybe this explains their shyness, the things ive offered them are herbivore flake, hikari chiclid gold pellet, and frozen brine along with lettuice, the only thing my frontosas are interest in is my rusty pleco's algae tablet. But i have heard that soon these fish will come out of their shell.

as regards them flashing ive looked at them so closely and i cant see anything resembling salt or white specs so i guess ill keep a good close eye on them and pray that it isnt a parasite.

i really appreciate your comments as im very passionate about my new tank and so far i think ive done everything right and when something crops up that you have no experience in its kinda daunting, is there anything else i can do to ensure my beloved fish (lol) stay healthy and happy other than regular 10% water changes and varied diet?

 

[freddyk]

Hey Priest.

I personally don't believe the advice you got was very good. Frontosa need a lot of room, growing from 8" to 14", and are piscavours. They are also calm, shy fish, except among themselvs. On the other hand Auratus are extremely aggressive and energetic mbuna that eat algae as a large part of their diet. As far as behavior goes, I don't think the Fronts will be comfortable in that environment, and as far as diet goes, it will be difficult to cator to both types of fish in one tank.

As far as flashing goes (rubbing) this is normal for cichlids, as long as it isn't excessive.

 

[The_Priest]

thanks for the advice fred, ill keep an eye on them and see what happens, i must admit tho before i put them in i asked and phoned around 2 or 3 local stockists and all said they would be ok, but come to think of it they are very very shy to be honest im lucky if i see them during the day, is there anything else i can do to keep my fish healthy other than a regular varied diet and a weeky 10% water change?

Thanks for the post so what should i do with my fronts?

 

[Aussie_Star]

maybe sell them back to the LFS or another one, But the best option would be to buy a big 80 gallon tank for them lol, thats what i would do

 

[freddyk]

buying a nice big tank for the fronts is certainly an option for those lucky enough to be able to, otherwise if you decide agains them you LFS should be willing to take them back, any who want repeated business would.